How to Set Up a Video Game or Esports League (Recommended Settings)

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6 min read

“Video games” spans everything from 1-on-1 fighting games to 5-on-5 shooters to high-score chasing, so the right setup depends on what you play. This guide covers the three common cases and the settings each one wants.

Baseline settings

  • Starting rating: 1000
  • K-factor: 32 (use 40 for short seasons or small player counts)
  • Custom stats: add the ones your game cares about (kills, deaths, assists, K/D)

Case 1 — 1v1 games (fighting games, head-to-head)

For Street Fighter, Smash 1v1, or any duel, this is textbook ELO: teams off, start at 1000, K = 32. Record the winner of each set. If you’re running a short bracket or a small crew where you want ratings to separate players quickly, bump K toward 40. That’s genuinely all you need.

Case 2 — team games (5v5 shooters, MOBAs)

For team titles where the lineups change, turn on Allow teams and Team matches affect individual ELO. A match then updates each player’s personal rating from the team result, so you can rank individuals across shifting rosters — the same approach used for basketball and pickup soccer. Add custom stats like kills, deaths, and assists to get per-player K/D leaderboards alongside the ratings.

Case 3 — high-score or time-trial games

Some games aren’t head-to-head at all — you’re chasing a number: a speedrun time, a survival-mode score, laps on a track. For these, use Volume mode instead of match-based ELO. Everyone logs their score for a session and earns rating based on how they stack up against a benchmark or the group average. It’s the right tool whenever there’s no single opponent to beat.

Why custom stats are worth it

ELO ranks who wins, but gaming groups love the detail. Define stats that matter for your title — K/D ratio, objective time, accuracy — and TrackMyElo builds per-player leaderboards and calculated columns (like K/D from kills and deaths) automatically. It turns a casual lobby into something with a real competitive record.

Quick setup

  1. Decide which case you’re in: 1v1, team, or high-score.
  2. For 1v1, use a basic league (K = 32). For team games, enable teams + individual ELO. For high-score, choose a Volume league.
  3. Add custom stats for your game if you want leaderboards beyond rating.
  4. Record results after each match or session.